


An Unlikely Company

by KatyThePlatypus



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 10:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4016632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatyThePlatypus/pseuds/KatyThePlatypus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Airelotwen Sandhelm is a woman that does not belong. With an elven mother and a dwarvish father she is an outcast of two races. But when Radagast pushes her into the path of thirteen dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard, she had no choice but to put her past behind her and help her new friends to reclaim what was viciously taken from them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The trees of Mirkwood could sometimes be so close together that no light could penetrate the canopy, but they could also be so far apart that it felt as though one was in a field. It was in one such clearing, called ‘Rhosgobel’, surrounded by trees thousands of years old, that a half-elf lived. Airelotwen, daughter of the dwarf Tolman Sandhelm and the elf Ascacariel, was a maid for the resident wizard of the forest.

Radagast the Brown had provided shelter, nurture and a home for Airelotwen when both of her parents were killed. In return she cooked and cleaned for him as his mind was so scattered that he often forgot to do it himself. The protection that a wizard could provide for a half-dwarf half-elf was invaluable. No taller than a ten year old child she could not wield a bow effectively. With the body structure of an elf she could not wield her father’s axe. With no other family beyond her deceased parents, and with them having turned their backs on their own people, Airelotwen was truly alone in the world. It was truly a blessing that Radagast had been kind enough to look after her.

Often when Airelotwen arrived at the house of the wizard he was away. He had many animal friends and put their needs before his, so she wasn’t surprised when she found the wooden hut empty this particular morning. What was surprising was how strange the woodland felt this morning. Airelotwen wasn’t as connected to the forest as pure-blood elves, but she could still tell when something was wrong. She hoped that wherever Radagast was, he was fixing the problem.

As Airelotwen cleaned the hut she was not entirely alone. A family of mice watched from a hole in the floor and a family of hedgehogs watched from the table. There was a hedgehog missing but when Airelotwen inquired after Sebastian, all she got in response was grunts and shnuffles.

It was midmorning when Radagast returned. The usually tranquil wizard was quite clearly upset as he threw open the door and slammed it shut behind him. Clutched to his chest, barely distinguishable amongst the brown clothes he wore, was Sebastian. He didn’t look well.

Airelotwen pushed her cleaning equipment to the side and hurried to the table when Radagast set Sebastian down. “Give him some room!” Radagast commanded of the other hedgehogs who were gathering around their friend.

Sebastian writhed on the table, looking grey and in pain. He curled up into a tight ball and refused to drink a blue-grey liquid that Radagast presented to him. Smoke from Radagast’s pipes also failed to relieve the creature.

“Radagast, what’s the matter with him?”

If Radagast heard Airelotwen he gave no inclination of it. Instead he scooped the poor creature up and cradled him close. “I don’t understand why this isn’t working!” Radagast hurried to the other side of the room, dropping into a chair.

“Is it witchcraft?”

“No, no!” Radagast shook his head, then stopped dead as if he had been hit. “But it _is_. A very dark and very powerful witchcraft.”

Airelotwen opened her mouth to ask what could do such a thing, but she was cut off when a large shadow was cast across the room. A large, eight-legged shadow. It was quickly joined by another and another and another. With wide eyes Airelotwen hurried to the wizard’s side. The mice followed hot on her heels, diving under the hem of her dress and taking shelter around her ankles.

“Radagast, do something!” Airelotwen hissed as the spiders began to make their way onto the roof. The wood and straw wouldn’t stand long against the weight of an overgrown arachnid.

Radagast clenched his eyes and began to speak in his tongue. His words were impossible to make out, sounding only like a low rumble in his chest. Two things suddenly happened at one; black smoke poured from Sebastian’s mouth and the spiders turned tail and fled. Sebastian woke with a start and a squeak as the mice slowly crept back out into the open.

“What _were_ they?” Airelotwen asked as Sebastian jumped onto the floor and ran towards the table where his family waited.

“Not of this good earth.” Radagast pulled himself to his feet with the help of his gnarled wooden staff. He cautiously made his way to the door and peeked out into the wood. “Whatever they were they are gone.” The wizard pulled the door open and stepped outside.

Airelotwen followed close behind, unwilling to be left behind in case the arachnids returned. “They had to have come from somewhere, but where?”

Radagast stared into the trees where the spiders had vanished. “Dol Guldur.” He stated decisively. “It has to be. Come on!” Radagast hurries forwards through the trees, not waiting to check that he’s being followed.

“What do you mean ‘come on’?” Airelotwen squeaked indignantly. “What makes you think that I want to follow those things?”

“Excellent idea!” Radagast called over his shoulder without stopping. “You wait here in case they return whilst I’m gone.”

Airelotwen glanced between the wizard and the flimsy wooden hut before hurrying after the one which might provide a little more protection. “I thought Dol Guldur was empty after King Oropher abandoned it?”

Almost everything that Airelotwen knew about the history of Mirkwood and the history of the elves had been taught to her by Radagast. Unless he had been mistaken, Dol Guldur had been empty since the Downfall of Númenor.

“King Oropher didn’t abandon Dol Guldur.” Radagast explained. “He abandoned Amon Lanc, the hill underneath it. Someone else built the fortress and let it fall into repair.”

“That’s not what you told me!”

“I thought it best not to worry you.” Radagast let out a shrill whistle and a sleigh pulled by a dozen brown rhosgobel rabbits came into view. Radagast jumped onto the back and Airelotwen took a seat in front of him.

“So what _did_ build it?” Airelotwen called over whistling wind as the sleigh shot forwards.

“Something terrible and powerful.” It’s the best answer that Radagast gives and Airelotwen wondered if maybe he didn’t actually know.

It took no more than half an hour to reach the abandoned fortress. It is not a structure that Airelotwen had ever seen before, nor did she wish to again. “Looks inviting.” Airelotwen said uneasily, arms wrapped around a wood strut of the sleigh to keep from falling off. Whatever dwelled within the looming dark mass of crumbling stone was incredibly powerful and Airelotwen had every right to be afraid of it.

“Wait here.” Radagast instructed as he stepped from the sleigh and began to make his way towards an unstable looking stone bridge that stretched out across a seemingly bottom-less trench.

“No need to tell me twice.” Airelotwen muttered to herself. She wanted to turn her back on the fortress but was afraid that something foul might sneak up on her if she did. Instead Airelotwen carefully turned the sleigh around and settled down to wait for the wizard.

Radagast wasn’t a very long time but he was long enough that Airelotwen had managed to link several feet of daisies and dandelions together to create a colourful white and yellow chain.

“Go! Go go go!” Radagast’s sudden shouts startled birds from the nearby tree tops and the rabbits took off so suddenly that Airelotwen nearly tumbled from the sleigh.

The rabbits were nearly at full speed by the time Radagast caught up with the sleigh, jumping onto the platform as a dark black cloud loomed behind him.

“Are those _bats_?!” Airelotwen cried in horror. The bats that were pursuing them were huge creatures with bodies bigger than Radagast’s head and wings half the length of her body!

“They’re the least of our worries!” Radagast shouted as the sleigh sped through the forest.

The bats soon gave up the chase but Radagast showed no sign of slowing down. “Radagast, where are we going?”

“Far, far away! Over the Misty Mountains!”

Airelotwen was confused. Never, not once in the seventy years that she had known the wizard, had Radagast run away from something. If he was running now then there was something terribly wrong.

The journey to the other side of the mountains took several days and it wasn’t until nightfall on the first day that both Radagast and Airelotwen realised they had no food, no blankets and no spare clothes. They were forced to sleep under the stars and eat whatever food they could find on the trail before pushing on. Thankfully the rabbits were fairly robust and had no trouble keeping up speed through the mountains. It took a further three days to reach wherever it was Radagast wanted to be.

Airelotwen had never been this side of the mountains before and she was well and truly lost by the time that they burst into another woodland. The rabbits navigated the closely packed trees with ease but Airelotwen had to close her eyes. They were getting far too many near misses for her liking. Unfortunately, because she had closed her eyes, she shrieked something terrible when the ground suddenly dropped from underneath her and the sleigh flew through the air. When it returned to the ground it landed with such force that Airelotwen rolled off the platform and onto the grass.

With a groan she opened her eyes to find that thirteen dwarves, an old man and something shorter than her with bare feet had various weapons trained on her.


	2. Chapter 2

Airelotwen slowly scooted back until Radagast shielded her from some of the weapons. There were swords and arrows, hammers and axes and something which looked suspiciously like… a ladle?

The old man was the first to lower his sword and his walking stick. “Radagast the brown!” he boomed from somewhere underneath a very long, grey beard, the ends of which were tucked into the grey belt that secured his grey robe. In fact the man was dressed from head to foot in grey and even his skin had a grey pallor. It was terribly off-putting. “What on Earth are you doing here?” The old man stepped forwards and the dwarves and the strange little creature lowered their weapons and stepped backwards, looking terribly confused.

“Looking for you, Gandalf. Something’s wrong. Something’s _terribly_ wrong.”

Concern crossed the old man’s, Gandalf’s, face. He pulled Radagast aside, leaving you in the attention of fourteen strangers and a handful of uninterested rabbits. They all stood in awkward silence for a few moments before the strange little creature stepped forwards and extended his hand.

“Bilbo Baggins.”

Airelotwen took the outstretched hand and smiled. “Airelotwen, at your service.”

The group once again lapsed into an awkward silence before one of the dwarves stepped forwards. “Well, I’ll be polite!” he bowed deeply, his moustache braids bouncing excitedly around his face. “Fíli, at your service.”

“And Kíli!” A brunette dwarf with stubble rather than a beard hurried forwards and bowed.

“A pleasure to meet the two of you.” Airelotwen smiled. One by one the other dwarves stepped forwards and introduced themselves. The new names, so many of them rhyming with each other, quickly overwhelmed Airelotwen and she forgot who was Dwalin and who was Ori and if there was even a dwarf called Ponter.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Bilbo spoke up again when it became clear that the two wizards (for really, what else could Gandalf be?) weren’t going to be finished anytime soon, “what are you?”

Airelotwen was about to answer when the bald dwarf (was this Balin or was it Dwalin?) spoke for her. “She’s a sodding elf, isn’t that obvious?”

“I was under the impression that elves were taller.” One of the dwarves called.

“Yeah, I mean she doesn’t _look_ completely elvish.”

“Well she has the ears.”

“But the height is all wrong.”

“What about the nose? It doesn’t look elvish.”

“Her hair looks to coarse to belong to a tree-shagger.”

“Brother, do try not to insult her when she’s standing right there.”

“Enough!” One of the dwarves from the back shouted. Airelotwen couldn’t remember his name for the life of her, but she did remember that he had been very grumpy when he’d introduced himself. “What are you?” the obviously rude dwarf demanded.

“I am an elf.” Airelotwen confirmed. “But I am also a dwarf.” The news that she was half elf caused more of an uproar than the fact that she was an elf. Everyone began talking so loudly and all at once that Airelotwen couldn’t make out a single word that was being said.

The ruckus continued until a loud, blood-chilling howl rang through the air. It silenced everyone in the clearing and even the wizards stopped talking and smoking their pipes. “Was that a wolf?” Bilbo demanded, the blood draining from his face. “Are-are there _wolves_ out there?”

Airelotwen had never had much to do with the world outside of her small cottage in the woods, but she knew enough about it to know that wolves would be preferable to the owner of that howl. The last time she had heard such a thing she had had a very, very, _very_ bad day.

“That is no wolf.” Said the dwarf with braids that curled up to match the flaps of his hat. It was either Bofur or Bifur, but Airelotwen couldn’t remember which one.

A shadow fell across the small clearing and everything went cold, the hairs on the back of Airelotwen’s neck standing up. There was a growl, a crunching of leaves and a beast of matted fur and saliva launched into the middle of the small group. Everyone shouted in surprise and scrambled to raise their weapons. The grumpy dwarf was the quickest and cut the warg down with a single blow. The beardless-brunette next to him (Kíli?) raised his bow and fired at another warg on the small cliff above them.

“An orc pack cannot be far behind!” the grumpy dwarf shouted in anger.

“ _Orc pack?_ ” Any colour that poor Bilbo had regained suddenly drained from his face once again.

Gandalf was suddenly bearing down on the grumpy dwarf with a face like thunder. Obviously not all wizards had the same temperament that Radagast did. “Who did you tell about your quest, other than your kin?” the wizard demanded.

“No one.”

“Who did you tell?”

“No one, I swear! What is going on?” the grumpy dwarf stood glaring at Gandalf who just scowled back.

“You are being hunted.” Gandalf eventually revealed. He did not sound overly surprised, as though he had suspected such a thing some time ago.

“We have to get out of here!” Balin/Dwalin shouted, gripping his dual axes tightly. It appeared that all of the dwarves agreed on something for a change.

“Get the ponies!” Gandalf commanded. Three dwarves scrambled to obey him but Radagast called them back.

“They’re long gone! We saw them running before we came over the hill, didn’t we Airelotwen?”

Airelotwen turned to the wizard with a bewildered expression. “Well I had my eyes closed, so I’m afraid I didn’t see anything.”

“What are we going to do?” one of the dwarves cried in despair.

“I’ll draw them off!” Radagast volunteered.

Both the Rabbits and Airelotwen turned to him with horrified expressions. Neither party wanted to be chased through the woods by a pack of orcs and wargs. “Radagast, are you _mad?_ ” Airelotwen demanded.

“You’ll never outrun them!” Gandalf agreed, glancing dubiously between the rabbits and the brown wizard.

“These are Rhosgobel rabbits!” Radagast revealed, as though such a thing would change Gandalf’s mind. “I’d like to see them try!” Radagast hurried onto the back of the sleigh and Airelotwen made several silent prayers before steeling herself to join him. Thankfully though, Radagast seemed to have other ideas. “You’re not that heavy but every little bit of weight will just slow them down. Stay with Gandalf until it’s clear.”

“Well, I’m not going to argue with you.” Airelotwen was silently relieved that she wasn’t going to be travelling on a sleigh pulled by warg food.

“Take this and keep it safe. It may come in handy.” Radagast pulled out a small bundle of brown fabric and pushed it into Airelotwen’s hands. The weight at the odd shape revealed it to be a sword even before she had discarded the fabric encasing it.

Nothing more was said and Radagast took off, the brown wizard shouting loudly at the top of his lungs in attempt to draw the attention of the orcs which had to be close by now. Gandalf waited until the brown wizard was out of sight before telling the dwarves to run. Airelotwen took off without any further encouragement, quickly falling into line among the dwarves. Unfortunately she hadn’t had much need to run in recent year and, as she hadn’t expected to do any running today, her dress hindered her movements. Nevertheless she burst from the trees and onto rocky open ground with the rest of the company, her desire to live pushing her forwards.

The mismatched company reached a large, conveniently place rock just as Radagast burst forth from the tree line. He dashed past of the horizon, a pack of warg-riding-orcs not more than five seconds behind him.

“Come on!” Gandalf encouraged before he broke cover and began to sprint across the rocky and uneven ground. They took a sharp left and began to run in the opposite direction to the wargs. Airelotwen found herself in line with Bilbo, who was panting hard under the weight of his bag. If it wasn’t for the imminent danger Airelotwen would have taken some weight for him, but as it was she just hooked her skirts up and wished her legs to go faster. “Stick together!” Gandalf suddenly shouted from the front of the group, stumbling to a stop before suddenly taking off in a different direction. A glance to the left revealed why; the orc pack was at the top of a hill no more than 200 feet away. If any of them should look to the right, the company would be dead in seconds.

“Come on, move!” the grumpy dwarf shouted as he slowed to ensure that everyone was keeping up.

Airelotwen was surprised by the resilience of the dwarves, as a white-haired dwarf that was either Balin or Dwalin and the grey-haired Oin (he had shouted his name so loudly that even Radagast had heard) sped to the front of the group.

Gandalf led the group under a rocky outcrop and had to scramble to stop at the other end when the Warg pack shot across in front of them.

“He’s not… doing… a very… good job…. is…. he?” Bilbo panted as he took a second to catch his breath. Airelotwen remained silent, wanting to preserve her energy for running rather than talking.

Gandalf made them wait for a minute before allowing everyone to hurry past him and back out into the open. “Where are you leading us?” Airelotwen heard the grumpy dwarf demand of the wizard. If the wizard replied she didn’t hear it, already putting distance between them.

The company was starting to slow and the one tight-knit pack was spreading out further and further. It took a few moments for everyone to realise that their neighbour had changed direction, so many of them initially overshot a rocky outcrop.

It was unclear to Airelotwen as to why they had suddenly stopped running. The orc pack was behind them, yes, but they were still far too close for comfort. The reason for the sudden stop soon became apparent when a low, throaty growl above them silenced their heavy panting. A little further down the line, the beard-less archer notched an arrow. He took a breath and stepped out into the open, releasing the arrow.

Where the archer’s aim had been flawless in the trees, killing the warg instantly, he failed this time. The orc and the Warg tumbled over the rocks with cries and shrieks loud enough to wake the dead. By the time that the dwarves had dispatched the rouges the other pack was quickly closing in.

“Run!” Gandalf shouted as he took off once again. For an old man he had a _lot_ of energy.

The company soon left the rocky landscape behind and found themselves running through long, dry grass instead. Hills rose around them, funnelling them to what would surely be a very grizzly end. “We’re surrounded!” the archer shouted, notching another arrow. Not that it would be of much use against two dozen blood thirsty orcs.

Airelotwen couldn’t see Radagast but she had hope that he was still alive, especially as none of the wargs showed traces of fresh blood.

“Kíli, shoot them!” the grumpy dwarf demanded before the dwarves closed ranks and started shouting to each other.

“Where’s Gandalf?”

“He’s abandoned us!”

“Curses on that old wizard!”

“Steady now!”

“Come on lads, get closer now!”

“Hold your ground!”

The orc pack was just readying for an assault when Gandalf popped up from behind a rock that had seemed too small to conceal anything larger than a rabbit. “This way, you fools!” he shouted before disappearing again. Either the wizard had found a cave or he had lost his marbles.

“Move!” the grumpy dwarf shouted, running to the rock. “All of you, quickly! Go go go!”

One by one the dwarves leapt over the small rock and disappeared from sight. Airelotwen followed them and found herself sliding down a steep rock face. Her knees jarred painfully when she connected with the stone floor of the cave but she hurried to move aside so that Bilbo could enter.

Once everyone was accounted for Gandalf motioned for them to be silent. The howls and grunts continued above them, but this time a horn joined them. A moment later and the sound of horses could be heard thundering above. A very short battle sounded above them and seemed to end only when an orc fell down dead at their feet, an arrow protruding from its neck.

The grumpy dwarf lurched forwards and yanked the sharpened wood from its neck. “Elves.” He stated with such disgust that it sounded as though he was about to be sick. He threw the arrow aside and turned to glare at Gandalf. The wizard looked as though he might say something but he was thankfully saved by Balin/Dwalin calling from the back of the cave.

“I can’t see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or not?”

Airelotwen turned to seek out the dwarf but found that he had disappeared out the back of what she had thought was a cave. The company pressed forwards and it was revealed that there was indeed a pathway leading out the back of the cave.

“Follow it!” someone shouted and one by one they filtered out into the very narrow passage.

The bald dwarf led the company for what seemed like hours down the passageway. It wound and zig-zagged and bent all over the place. If its builders had built in in a straight line Airelotwen was sure the journey wouldn’t have taken a quarter of the time that it did.

The sun was high in the sky when they finally stopped walking, the passage opening out onto a small rocky platform. The dwarves started to grumble and shout in disgust at whatever lay before them. Airelotwen pushed past them and found herself looking out over a sprawling valley of green trees, waterfall and rivers. In the centre of the valley were white houses. It was undoubtedly an elvish settlement. A human couldn’t create such beauty in a thousand years.

“Rivendell.” Bilbo breathed from beside Airelotwen.

“Welcome,” Gandalf said from the back of the group, “to the last homely house east of the sea.”

 


End file.
